Baby's Got A New Pair Of Shoes!

greenbarn · May 09, 2014, 14:14:08 PM

Quote from: pcarrell on May 09, 2014, 10:10:16 AM
I don't think the tire was too soft. Where we were at was an area where there is a lot of horseback riding, and so the speculation is that I may have picked up a horseshoe nail or something, but it looks like it's long gone now.

Here's what usually happens with a rear puncture:
- piece of metal (or other debris) laying flat in the road- nail, screw, wire, screwdriver, pliers, razor blade, bolt, spring, scrap steel, chicken bone, antler, etc (yes I have pulled all of these, and some I can't remember, out of tires)
- you hit said debris with the front tire, you don't even see it.
- front tire rolls over it with no damage
- said debris rolls down the road end-over-end from the impact of the front tire
- If you're lucky, the debris is flat again when you hit it with the rear tire.
- If you're not, well, then the debris is now temporarily standing on end and runs right into your rear tire. It's all about the timing.

I have customers surprised that they pick up a puncture, thinking they haven't been anywhere where there should be trash on road, but trust me, there is trash all over the road, on every road. It's unavoidable.

But like D1 said, the important thing is the passengers and steed fared OK. The tire can be repaired or replaced.

CDNRatMan · May 09, 2014, 10:26:14 AM

PC, I have one of them emergency cell phones and I keep it with my travel stuff so I have with me all the time, and it was pay as you go I have had it for 2 years, and put $100.00 on it and then another $100.00 because you have to pay every year, and I have a credit of $198.00 so lots of calls to GB to mess with him in the future......

hope it is just a tube.....

pcarrell · May 09, 2014, 10:10:16 AM

Yeah, I've been thinking about getting an emergency only cell. In this case, we were blessed that we were where we were. Down in southern Indiana there are lots of those dead spots that Ratman mentioned.

It looks like the tire may be OK and I'll only need a tube. I'll have to wait and get it off the bike to be sure.

I don't think the tire was too soft. Where we were at was an area where there is a lot of horseback riding, and so the speculation is that I may have picked up a horseshoe nail or something, but it looks like it's long gone now.

Reveen · May 09, 2014, 10:09:53 AM

I feel for you pcarrell, that really sucks! Hope everything turns out okay. I know how I'd feel if my brand new tire was punctured . . .

Drift1 · May 09, 2014, 09:55:55 AM

Ratman cell service can be a disadvantage for most of us were we like to ride , so point well taken .

CDNRatMan · May 09, 2014, 09:51:50 AM

Quote
Man you should never travel without this essential especially if your out alone somewhere .

that is really good to say, but up here we have hours of dead zones and no towers in the area......so not really applicable unless you have service.

at least PC you could eat and were out of the weather if it had been bad.

Drift1 · May 09, 2014, 09:42:09 AM

Let's stick to the positive side on this mishap , as this could have turned out much uglier . The important thing is the three of you are fine ......Just think PC , Miss Nadine was able to limp you and the miss's to a safety zone ( diner ) witch had a phone for you . Man you should never travel without this essential especially if your out alone somewhere .

You think the new tires are "to " soft , or just plain old bad mojo ? Keep us posted and glad everyone is safe .

pcarrell · May 08, 2014, 22:15:09 PM

I'm beat for now. I'll put it on the lift tomorrow and check out the damage then.

CDNRatMan · May 08, 2014, 21:59:20 PM

oh that sucks......let us know what it was for sure.....

greenbarn · May 08, 2014, 21:38:48 PM

That's a shame, PC. Did it ruin the tire? Hope not! Depends on what you ran over, I guess.... Hope you get it straightened around soon!

pcarrell · May 08, 2014, 20:38:39 PM

OK, so......bad news!

My back tire got a puncture today. I was 85 miles from home out riding in southern Indiana with the wife and all of a sudden we hear "tick, tick, tick, tick" from the rear of the bike. I pull over immediately and get down on the ground, but I can't see or hear anything wrong. I look all around and there's no clue as to what could have caused it. I pull away slowly and the ticking is gone. Now keep in mind, we're WAY out in the country and we don't have a cell phone. I know that about a mile up the road is a small country diner, which is the only thing around for miles. The bike feels OK, so I go for it. We get to the diner and the bike looks fine. We go in, order some lunch, and just hang out a bit. When we come out, the rear tire is flat. I borrow a phone and call one of my buddies at the shop and after I convince him that I'm not pulling his leg he informs me that the only vehicle he has that can pull the trailer is in the shop. I call a 24 hour flatbed, and now $293.00 later Nadine is home. I'll have to wait a couple of weeks until Matt's truck is out of the shop and he can come get her for a replacement tire, so for now, I'm driving the cage!

pcarrell · May 08, 2014, 20:26:09 PM

Quote from: Reveen on May 08, 2014, 17:47:11 PM
My bags are a little worse for wear though . . . maybe some good leather treatment would do me some good.

Before you do any leather treatments (you don't want any oils or treatments on or in the leather that would make this trick not work or be as effective), you can reshape the leather somewhat and make it better. Remove the bags and stick a couple of bricks in each one, then completely submerse them in a bathtub of water. Let them soak for several hours. You want the leather saturated. Now, remove them from the tub and fill them with newspaper (lots of it) to get the shape you want. With our bags it's pretty easy because of the plastic frame around the inside of the opening and the hard backs on them. The lid is a bit more tricky. The reason the lids get misshapen is because they get buckled down too tight. Wiggle it around till it drops into place and then buckle it as loosely as you can while still holding it in place. I had to place a phone book on top of each lid to help straighten them out. Now, set them aside to dry. Depending on heat and humidity that could take anywhere from a few days to a week or more. Remember, that leather was saturated. Once they're dry, you can do any leather treatments and then back on the bike they go. If they get wet a few times they might start returning to their current state and you'll have to repeat the process. I need to do mine again.

Reveen · May 08, 2014, 17:47:11 PM

pcarrell, bike is looking amazing as always! You might have already seen my post in the other thread, but I just got the Shinko 777's on my bike as well. I love the way they feel when taking corners. Leaps and bounds different than the tires that came with my bike. Wouldn't have taken much though, as my rear tire was pretty much bald. I hope they last a good while.

I just noticed that we have the same seat, pipes, and bags! My bags are a little worse for wear though . . . maybe some good leather treatment would do me some good.

pcarrell · May 05, 2014, 07:34:55 AM

I made lower for mine last year and couldn't believe the difference! http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/index.php?topic=22935.0

greenbarn · May 04, 2014, 21:34:47 PM

Nice looking ride, Pastor dude. I've got 777s at the shop ready to put on myself. Whenever I get time to do a tear-down....

D1, I don't have lowers on the 1500 yet, but plan to by the time Drift-in gets here. I dislike all the wind turbulence on the 800, so wanted to try a set on the 1500 to see if it helps.

Drift1 · May 04, 2014, 18:58:19 PM

Quote from: CDNRatMan on May 04, 2014, 16:12:56 PM
Hey D1 she sure looks good eh!

You actually ride someone else's bike? Ok.
You are going to be in KS then you can make arrangements to met with gdruddy13, and Ksdrifter, they both live in KS and for sure you can met up with draconarmy, you will surly get some time off to look around and see some of the local sights......

Sure I'd ride someone else's bike . Dude if my vehicle broke down I'd borrow another to get my butt to work , see no difference ... LOL .... Maybe if I get time off in Kansas one of my fellow members will have an extra scoot , so I can ride with them while being shown around

PC keep us updated on the new sneaks , as I've read plenty of good reviews on these .

pcarrell · May 04, 2014, 16:47:53 PM

Thanks D1!

Well, I've got a bit over 100 miles on the new shoes now, and first impressions are good. Maybe it was the old setup being, well, old, but these new skins seem to have a bit more "give" in the sidewalls, which makes them real comfy on the bumpier bits. They have decent grip so far, though they're just getting scuffed in, so I'm sure they'll get better. Can't wait to put a few thousand miles more on them!

CDNRatMan · May 04, 2014, 16:12:56 PM

Hey D1 she sure looks good eh!

You actually ride someone else's bike? Ok.

You are going to be in KS then you can make arrangements to met with gdruddy13, and Ksdrifter, they both live in KS and for sure you can met up with draconarmy, you will surly get some time off to look around and see some of the local sights......

Drift1 · May 04, 2014, 15:30:03 PM

OOOOWWW ... BABY !! Look at Miss Nadine all dressed up , man Pastor dude she looks FANTASTIC I'm sure she really does appreciates the new shoes I'm going to give those 777's a shot myself and actually ordered them up last Friday . Unfortunately , I'm going to Kansas on Mothers Day for military duties for 2 1/12 weeks so that's when they'll get installed .

Quote from: CDNRatMan on May 04, 2014, 12:06:26 PM
Well before D1 gets here and asks, if you remove your lowers you could send them to me to hold and use for you and keep them in good shape. I would give them a good home.
batwing fairing, stylized hard bags......perhaps........need to see it ......but personally I really like the old skool look......

You can have them Ratman , I don't think I'll put the lowers on my bike , at least not now . I'm waiting for GB to let me take his new gal out for a spin at drift-in , to see if I like the ride with lowers on or not ..... LOL

pcarrell · May 04, 2014, 12:33:59 PM

Much like the tour pack is an older style, that's how I envision the hard bags and fairing.

I'll probably keep the lowers on, but if you do happen to swing through the area I still have the first set I made. They're slightly smaller, but work quite well. You'll need the mounts though. I think my mounts cost around $60USD.

CDNRatMan · May 04, 2014, 12:06:26 PM

Well before D1 gets here and asks, if you remove your lowers you could send them to me to hold and use for you and keep them in good shape. I would give them a good home.
batwing fairing, stylized hard bags......perhaps........need to see it ......but personally I really like the old skool look......

pcarrell · May 04, 2014, 10:27:08 AM

Next, I think a fairing and hardbags to complete the look! Oh, and I just got to do something with the forks to get rid of that tool bag. I think a little more leather work is in order, because you know, on the eighth day God created fringe!

CDNRatMan · May 04, 2014, 10:22:36 AM

that is one hot babe, and them white walls really set her off.......

pcarrell · May 04, 2014, 10:03:30 AM

It came time for a new set of tires recently. When I bought Nadine, my 1500 Drifter, she had a set of Dunlop's on her. While I didn't much care for those tires, I ended up putting 4,000 miles on them before swapping them out for a set of Continental Milestones. The Conti's were somewhat pricey, but an excellent tire overall. I got 14,000 miles out of the rear Conti (still had a little tread left) and at 36k I swapped it out for a Metzler 880. The front Conti was still in great shape, so it stayed on. Friday, Matt, one of the guys from my local shop, Fatty's Cycle ( http://www.fattyscycle.com/ ) called and said there was some chick up there named Nadine who was looking for me. I busted on over there to find Miss Nadine all ready to go with a new set of Shinko 777's on her. The Conti that was on the front was about worn out, but to be fair, it did give me 27,450 trouble free miles, which is outstanding in my book! The rear Metzler was just beginning to have the center of the tread pull away (very dangerous if it had been allowed to continue) after 13,450 miles.

So, at 49,450 miles on the clock, we'll see how these new Shinko's work out. So far I'm a big fan of the Continental Milestones, but I have to admit, the Shinko's do look good! (The tread pattern is similar on the Shinko's to the Conti's as well.)